"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." (Sir Winston Churchill)

2/13/09

...All nine members of the Campus Life Tour were taken to the Birmingham City Jail, where they were forced to change into orange jumpsuits and placed in holding cells for 6 hours without water or access to a phone, as the officers ignored their requests for help. They were booked and placed in cells around 1:00 a.m., but were not released until hours later, the young women at 7:00 a.m. and the men at 9:00 a.m. The group was released without any paper citations, only bond forms stating a generic "Charge of Trespassing" with no penal code listed on the form.

As the officers questioned Blythe at the jail, she stated that the Constitution protected her right to stand on a public sidewalk. The police officers' response was clear: "You're in Alabama now."...

...At the Birmingham City Jail, in an eerie throwback to the past, Rev. Shaver was handcuffed and shackled at his feet. Despite repeated requests from his attorney to remove the shackles, guards kept the painful and restrictive shackles on Rev. Shaver for hours. Rev. Shaver and the other young men were informed during their jail stay that several of the guards at the jail also serve as security guards at a local abortion clinic.

"We were arrested yesterday because of the content of our message. It's clear from the attitudes and actions of the police officers that our message of life is not welcome in Birmingham, and prejudice is alive and well in this city. It is a shame that this historic city which saw the Civil Rights movement firsthand continues to refuse basic civil rights to peaceful activists simply on the basis of their message," states Kortney Blythe, Director of the Survivors Campus Life Tours. "We are shocked by the Birmingham Police Department's response to our peaceful actions, and we call upon the Chief of Police to initiate a thorough investigation of yesterday's horrifying civil rights abuses. The Survivors will continue to peacefully promote a culture of life and expose the truth of abortion in Birmingham and throughout the state of Alabama, regardless of the actions of prejudiced police officers."...

I'd like to know who put the police up to it. Somebody missed the turn of the century...last century!

Normally I do not like to criticize the clergy. I like to pray for them. However, when a priest puts on public display his dissident beliefs it does need to be pointed out. Here is a recent example of a badly formed priest who is president and vice-chancellor of a purportedly Catholic university, who makes a statement that is scandalous. (Even an unbeliever would realize the scandal in Fr.Paul Rennick's statement!)

...LSN sought comment regarding the school's decision to invite Cokie Roberts, a pro-abortion Catholic news analyst who has criticized the Church for preaching against homosexuality and contraception, to address the school as part of the "Christian Culture" lecture series.

Fr. Rennick told LSN that he had "personally vetted" the selection of Roberts and chose her because she was "a woman of faith," a "well known Catholic" and "successful as an individual Christian."

LSN asked Fr. Rennick, "Do you think there is a possibility of scandal from the fact that she has professed very pro-abortion views and has criticized Catholic bishops for teaching Church doctrine on homosexuality and contraception?" The President of the Catholic University replied, "No, I don't."

Asked to elaborate, Fr. Rennick said: "If you look at the catholic population, you'll find a whole variety of positions on all of those topics. It seems to me that disagreement on a particular position doesn't disqualify one from being a Catholic. Unless, of course, that position is whether Jesus is the Christ."

"Abortion is not an infallible teaching. It never has been proclaimed infallibly," he said. "This attempt to put everything that the Church teaches in this one set of categories, it seems to me, is not a proper Catholic position, not according to the history of our church," he added.

LSN sought comment about Fr. Rennick's remarks from London Bishop Ronald Fabbro who is Chancellor of Assumption University. Mark Adkinson, Director of Communications for the diocese, told LifeSiteNews.com he would not be able to have the bishop comment. Asked if there would be a better time to contact the bishop, Adkinson replied, "No, because I don't view LifeSite as a legitimate news source."...

...Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) Assistant Director Lea Singh noted that the Catechism reads: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every produced abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable." (CCC 2271).

"As an 'unchangeable' teaching, it does indeed seem to be an infallible teaching," said Singh. "Over the years the CCCB has repeatedly spoken out strongly against abortion." She quoted a 1990 CCCB document which stated: "Catholic teaching on abortion is clear and unequivocal. Abortion is a moral evil because it involves the destruction of human life. Direct killing of an unborn child is never justified." ...

The scandal is clear. Fr. Rennick is in desperate need of formation, and hopefully he will get it. It is disturbing to think that people send their college students to Assumption Univ., thinking that THEY will receive a good formation! I guess there is a reason why that university did not make the 'faithful to the Magisterium' list!!

(Our two eldest have attended Our Lady Seat Of Wisdom, which IS on the list, and we can personally recommend it!)

As an aside, Mark Adkinson would serve Bishop Fabbro better if he kept up to date with his communications contacts. (That's his job, right?!) LifeSiteNews has an international reputation amongst faithful Catholic lay persons,priests,Bishops,Cardinals and academics for producing a superior Catholic news service. (Unlike some other Canadian 'catholic' productions often found in the back of churches!)

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Most gracious Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our for our faithful priests and bishops, whose spiritual fatherhood and example of fidelity, self-sacrifice, and devotion is so vital to the faith of your people.

May our spiritual fathers be guided by the examples of Saints Peter and Paul, all the Apostles and their saintly successors. Give them valiant faith in the face of confusion and conflict, hope in time of trouble and sorrow, and steadfast love for you, for their families, and for all your people throughout the world. May the light of your Truth shine through their lives and their good works.

Assist all spiritual fathers, that through your Grace they may steadily grow in holiness and in knowledge and understanding of your Truth. May they generously impart this knowledge to those who rely on them.

2/12/09

Although many people around the world assume that initiatives of the UN are always with the good of mankind at heart, increasingly the UN has been pushing vigorously the mandate of the 'Culture of Death'.

...The Holy See will not lend its support to U.N. conventions that hide a defense of abortion and same-sex marriage under a cover of legitimate rights, explained a Holy See representative....

...In regard to the convention on persons with disabilities the prelate said that "while recognizing the importance and urgency of putting many of its aspects into practice, the Holy See abstains from signing it because the text lends support to abortion as a form of so-called reproductive health."

The Holy See delegation worked to bring the convention in line with a true defense of human rights, he said, but without success.

In the negotiation phase, the delegation pointed to the ambiguity of the wording, asking "not that it be deleted but made precise once and for all so that it would exclude abortion from among the possibilities of its interpretation," Archbishop Migliore noted....

... "In dealing with rights that have to do with life and the conduct of persons, communities and peoples," he observed, "discernment foresees that we must ask every time whether demands for the recognition of new rights promote a true good for all and what the relationship is to other rights and with each person's responsibility."...

We need to keep ourselves informed about what is going on in our name. The UN is NOT government. Our governments give the UN its mandate. The end to the 'Culture of Death' starts at home!

The dissident, leftist movement in the Catholic Church over the last forty years has severely undermined the teaching of the Catholic Church on the moral teachings on life and family, a prominent US Orthodox rabbi told LifeSiteNews.com. Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the head of a group of 800 Orthodox rabbis in the US and Canada, also dismissed the accusations that the Holy See had not sufficiently distanced itself from the comments made by Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on the Holocaust.

"I support this move" to reconcile the traditionalist faction in the Church, he said, "because I understand the big picture, which is that the Catholic Church has a problem. There is a strong left wing of the Church that is doing immeasurable harm to the faith." Rabbi Levin said that he understands "perfectly" why the reconciliation is vital to the fight against abortion and the homosexualist movement....

....Rabbi Levin was in Rome holding meetings with high level Vatican officials to propose what he called a "new stream of thinking" for the Church's inter-religious dialogue, one based on commonly held moral teachings, particularly on the right to life and the sanctity of natural marriage.

"The most important issue," he said, is the work the Church is doing "to save babies from abortion, and save children's minds, and young people's minds, helping them to know right and wrong on the life and family issues."

"That's where ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue has to go."....

I'm with the Rabbi. Liberal Catholics have been largely responsible for societal decay,(kind of the opposite of the Irish monks that 'saved' the world!) and only by strengthening orthodoxy in the church will we be able to right the wrong of decades of dissidence and disobedience that has robbed several generations of their souls. (Of course, this involves much sacrifice and prayer!)

Catholic schools can do their part by teaching that there are actual TRUTHS that CAN BE KNOWN ( instead of the relativistic drivel that many are teaching now!)

Doug Kmiec has God given talents that should be used for this endeavor.

...An August 2008 study released by the group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good had Obama supporters (and some editorial boards) swooning. Analyzing state level abortion data from 1982 to 2000, it purportedly found evidence that increased spending on various welfare programs resulted in substantial reductions in state abortion rates. The spin given to the results was that many pro-life laws, such as those requiring parental notification for abortions performed on minor girls, had little effect. So the paradoxical message to pro-life voters was that they could best advance their interests by electing pro-choice Democrats instead of pro-life Republicans.

Not surprisingly, this study had a substantial impact on the debate over sanctity of life issues during the 2008 Presidential election. Self proclaimed pro-lifers who support Democratic Presidential nominees can be found in every election cycle. However, this study gave Doug Kmiec, Nicholas Cafardi, and others intellectual legitimacy in arguing that pro-life voters should vote for liberals, even if they favor abortion-on-demand and its public funding, in order to advance the pro-life cause. At last, there was a methodologically sophisticated study which allegedly demonstrated that the welfare policies favored by Democrats were more effective in preventing abortion than the pro-life laws supported by Republicans. It seemed too good to be true.

It was. In November, with no public announcement, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good removed this study from their website. A replacement version was uploaded shortly thereafter...

...The new version provides evidence that welfare policy has no more than a marginal effect on the incidence of abortion. In fact, the new regression results indicate that none of the three welfare policies which the authors previously argued were effective tools for reducing the incidence of abortion have a substantial abortion reducing effect. Wright clearly states that “WIC payments are not correlated with the abortion rate in the 1990s.” Additionally, the regression results consistently indicate that the presence of family caps has only a marginal effect on state abortion rates. Furthermore, while Wright argues that increased AFDC/TANF spending reduces state abortion rates, his regression results raise serious doubts about the reliability of this finding...

...Unfortunately, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good continues to miss the boat and mislead the public. There exist plenty of peer reviewed studies which find that public funding restrictions and parental involvement laws reduce the incidence of abortion. However, instead of acknowledging the positive impact of pro-life legislation and constructively working with pro-lifers to promote social policies that will further reduce abortion rates, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good seems primarily interested in providing moral, political, and theological cover for supporters of Barack Obama and other Democrats who support “abortion rights.” Unfortunately, their latest study indicates that their original findings have been unable to withstand serious scrutiny.

Sadly, just weeks into his administration, President Obama has already demonstrated considerable disregard for the sanctity of human life. One of Barack Obama’s first acts as President was to revoke the Mexico City Policy. Now non-governmental organizations receiving funds from the U.S. Government can perform and promote abortions overseas. It is unfortunate that the faulty research of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good was used as political cover to help make such a thing possible...

2/11/09

Wiley-Blackwell, a major academic press, was set to release its four-volume Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization this month. According to the encyclopedia’s editor, George Thomas Kurian, the set had been copy-edited, fact-checked, proofread, publisher-approved, printed, bound, and formally launched (to high praise) at the recent American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature conference. But protests from a small group of scholars associated with the project have led the press to postpone publication, recall all copies already distributed, and destroy the existing print run. The scholars’ complaint? The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, they have reportedly argued, is “too Christian.” “They also object to historical references to the persecution and massacres of Christians by Muslims,” Kurian says, “but at the same time want references favorable to Islam.”

Political correctness in academic publishing is nothing new, but it would be unusual, to say the least, for ideological pressure to lead a publisher to reverse itself so late in the process, especially given the significant financial losses involved in pulping a print run of a gigantic four-volume encyclopedia. As Kurian puts it, “This is probably the first instance of mass book-burning in the 21st century.”...

Student 'leaders' following the lead of the administration's repressive PC tactics, banishes a prolife group over free speech. LifeSiteNews:

...After a ten-minute hearing Tuesday, the University of Calgary's Students' Union voted to de-sanction the school's pro-life club, thereby barring the club from using campus facilities or receiving SU funding.

The hearing followed the refusal of the pro-life group to hide a Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) pro-life display on the campus in November, when ordered to do so by the University's administration. The club has erected the display, which shows images of abortion victims alongside other genocide victims, without incident several times in the past.

The University recently charged a number of its own students for "trespassing" because of their participation in the display...

... "I would like to ask [the Students' Union]: since when did official communications from the University regarding an arbitrary limitation placed on a specific club become justification for desanctioning our club and not supporting our right to free speech?" said Campbell.

CPL president Leah Hallman told the Herald before the hearing that a de-sanctioning would not mean the end of the pro-life club, though it would "make things much more difficult for us."...

University of Calgary's 'students' union is typical of the generation brought up in Canadian schools and with Canadian media the past 20 years. They do not know the value of free speech, or apparently, the value of a human life.

Great job Canada!

Luckily, some families managed to raise independent thinkers with fortitude and a knowledge of basic principles of freedom and humanity. These will be the leaders to look to in the future, the ones we'll be counting on to protect us in our dotage, from the 'shut up and die already' University of Calgary graduates.

...In her Feb. 4. column, "Women deserve better than abortion," Barbara Kay offers flawed suggestions to the pro-life movement. She calls the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), which compares abortion to the Holocaust, the "worst" use of the movement's time and resources.

Since the pro-life movement's goals are to change minds and save lives, the documented cases of GAP accomplishing just that (see unmaskingchoice.caand abortionNO.org)make it one of the best activities for pro-lifers to get involved with. Ms. Kay says GAP "brands" pro-lifers as "people ... who do not think clearly." GAP volunteers are trained, intelligent, articulate people who defend the pro-life view scientifically and philosophically, and who engage in Socratic dialogue. Furthermore, its creators have studied historical genocides as well as researched and modelled successful social reform movements.

It's worth considering that Martin Luther King Jr.'s protests were also wrongly "branded" as not only "unwise and untimely" but "extreme." So much for branding being a concern -- today, streets are named after him.

As suffragette (and pro-lifer) Susan B. Anthony once said, "Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates and bear the consequences."

Indeed, hostility is directed toward pro-lifers who say abortion is comparable to the Holocaust. If the unborn aren't human, the comparison is flawed. But if the unborn are human, it is accurate....

....Brooklyn, N. Y.-based Rabbi Yehuda Levin echoes this sentiment. He argues, "Each form of genocide, whether Holocaust, lynching, abortion, etc., differs from all the others in the motives and methods of its perpetrators. But each form of genocide is identical to all the others in that it involves the systematic slaughter, as state-sanctioned 'choice,' of innocent, defenceless victims -- while denying their 'personhood.'"....

....If abortion advocates object more when the subject is fetuses and less when it's women, that's a good indicator pro-lifers should stick to their message. Furthermore, abortion is not wrong because it hurts women. Abortion is wrong because it intentionally kills an innocent human being. That's why it hurts women psychologically and physically. Testimonies and personal appeal are powerful -- and important -- but they shouldn't replace the foundational message about what abortion does to the unborn....

Stephanie Gray is co-founder (with Jojo Ruba) of the Canadian Center for Bio-ethical Reform.

Why should the prolife movement be taking advise from Barbara Kay when she states..."I am not opposed in principle to legal abortion." She 's hardly going to be helpful with 'strategy'!

Proverbs 24:11-12:"Rescue those who are being taken away to death.Hold back those staggering toward slaughter.And if you say, "But we knew nothing of this,"Does not He who weighs the heart perceive it,Does not He who guards your life know it?Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?"

...The fascistic tactics of such militant Progs are beyond irony– they view themselves as lonely crusaders for truth, and that the ends justify all means, even if said means are prejudicial, anti-democratic, hateful, and suppressive or real debate and discussion on the issues they supposedly feel so strongly about. It’s political violence, of a sort, and injures civil society, facts and reflection, and is an absolute assumption of rightness and righteousness on the protesters. This is a popular tactic of Jihadists, brownshirts, black shirts, Bolshevik students, ranting 60’s student bullies– not of those who want the free exchange of ideas in pursuit of truth.…

...our awesomer-than-usual Infidel Prof sends along a screed he flung off to the local Chronicle Herald. Proborts, anti-speechists, and academic drones beware: the truth is offensive.

To the editor:

The Herald is right that the protesters who disrupted Jose Ruba’s presentation at Saint Mary’s University last Thursday (”Protesters denied pro-lifer’s right to free speech,” 10 February 2009) have no regard for freedom of expression and were acting as vigilantes. But the Herald fails to press the same points against the university.

This is the first paragraph of the university’s press release regarding the incident: “The University remains committed to academic freedom, diversity of opinion, and supports open debate in a forum that does not put the personal safety and rights of our community at risk. There is a balance that must be maintained among all of these.”

This paragraph implies that it is possible in a open debate to put at risk the rights of our community, and this risk has to be balanced against other things. The university and the protesters are, then, as one in their disdain for freedom of expression. One of the organizers of the protest has said that to compare abortion to the Holocaust, which indeed is what Mr Ruba did, is to violate people’s human rights. Now if it is possible in an open debate to put at risk people’s human rights, comparing abortion to the Holocaust seems a good candidate for violating human rights. The university might well agree with the protesters about both principle and case....

...Among the many comments on this that I have read, one comment keeps popping up. If Mr. Ruba compares abortion to the holocaust, it is assumed that he is comparing women who have abortions to Nazis. I fail to see that that follows; only people who did not hear his talk make that conclusion. The comparison of abortion to the Holocaust is made on the basis of several points...

...Pro-lifers raise a number of important philosophical questions and dismissing them as irrelevant is not an intellectually satisfactory position for most people. The human mind, like the rest of nature, abhors a vacuum. When questions are raised, and answers sought, the need for authenticity and logical consistency pushes the mind to find answers, even if they are deemed "irrelevant" by some. That is the beauty of the human intellect.

If they do not answer these questions, they will lose ground. By raising questions, pro-lifers will create that vacuum and pro-lifers will fill it.

We only need to persistently present the facts in a calm and peaceful manner. I am not saying this is the magic bullet. I don't believe in magic bullets for such complex questions.

I am saying it can only further our cause...

(If you have found other relevant articles you'd like to share, pleas add them in the comments, or e-mail me.)

....Abortion is our god and Obama, Pelosi, Kennedy are his prophets. His sacrifice is the life of infants and the souls of mothers. His priests are doctors who perform abortions. His church is Planned Parenthood and FOCA, (freedom of choice act). His covenant promises rights and freedom for women. It delivers death of infants, permanent damage to the souls of women, of men, of politicians.

Homosexual lust is our god and Obama, Bishop Gene Robinson, and democratic politicians are his prophets. The sacrifice is personal integrity and corruption of the body and spirit. Its priests and priestesses are men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with women (WSW). Its church is the Human Rights Campaign and other activist organizations, Pride clubs and "gay" and "lesbian" centers. Its covenant offers false promises of equality with those who have normal sexual relations and inner peace. It delivers disease, prolonged adolescent immaturity, and oppression of the church and good people who live upright moral lives.

Money is our god, and the wealthy and the welfare are its prophets. Its sacrifice is hard earned savings and retirement. Its priests are those taking obscene profits by defrauding investors, and those who choose government money over honest work. Its church is a non vigilant Securities and Exchange Commission and congress. Its covenant promises self reliance and security in wealth. It delivers collapse of the economy, unfair distribution of wealth, and a drain on the tax system.

Socialism is our god, and Obama is his prophet. Its sacrifice is personal freedom. Its priests are politicians and communist ideological organizations. Its church are legislatures and executive branches in government. Its covenant promises fairness and sameness for all. It delivers power and wealth those who already possess it and takes away opportunity for those out of power and destroys of the economy and future for others.

Liberalism is our god and the Democratic party is his prophet. Its sacrifice is freedom, integrity, opportunity, and wholeness. Its priests are the fascist elites in government, education, and bureaucracies, who wish to control others' thoughts and actions. Its churches are political parties, universities, and corrupt professional organizations. Its covenant promises unbridled freedom for perversion of the natural law and oppression for all who disagree with it. It delivers the breakdown of society, constitutional government, and true freedom for morally minded people, especially faithful Christians....

Unfailing refuge and sweetest Mother; Pearl of grace so fair, fail not thine children to care, E'er our sweetest Advocate who did God once bear ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

-- Jeong-Bo Shim

Jeong-Bo is a thirteen year old boy who lives with his family in Corvallis, Oregon. He is home-schooled and enjoys writing poetry. Last year, he was the state winner of the Junior Catholic Daughters of America poetry contest. He also plays the violin and has been invited to play a solo meditation at the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Last year he won second place in the MTNA national competition. He enjoys playing soccer, basketball, tennis, and swimming as well as gardening. He received help on the first verse from Katheryn Atkinson of Tehachipi, California.

2/10/09

Jojo Ruba will be speaking at St.Francis Xavier tonight - hopefully!UPDATE"It went well Loretta. We had about a dozen or so silent protesters who stayed for half the talk and then when I mentioned abortion, they left! Not very open-minded I think....I'm almost ready to send those (SMU)protesters a thank-you card for providing all this free publicity!" (Jojo Ruba via FB)

...Tonight at St. Francis Xavier (St. FX) University, in Antigonish Nova Scotia, a controversial speaker whose talk on Thursday was shouted down by a mob of abortion supporters will attempt to give the same pro-life presentation.

Last Thursday, Jojo Ruba, co-founder of the Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR), gave a controversial speech about abortion titled, "Echoes of the Holocaust," at St. Mary's University in Halifax. A minute into his talk, a group of angry protestors chanted repeatedly, constantly interrupting the presentation, until a university official shut the talk down. Ruba was being hosted by the university's pro-life group.

(Footage of the disruption that lasted more than 45 minutes can be seen in a series of clips on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Joerugby07&view=vide...)

"It's sad really. In February, we remember the civil rights activists, who peacefully spoke out for the oppressed in their society. When white racists violently protested against them, the police arrested the peaceful civil rights activists and not the racists," said Ruba. "It's too bad that kind of thinking still exists today."

St. Mary University student, Joe Westin, who invited Ruba to his campus, expressed disappointment at his peers' and university's reaction: "I am appalled that the students would be so hateful and intolerant and am shocked that the university gave into mob rule," he said.

It is unknown whether those same protestors, or more, will show up at the talk at St. FX tonight. Security plans to be on site.

"I spoke to the students at St. FX last night and encouraged them to persevere, reminding them that we're not doing anything wrong."

The presentation has been met with such resistance because Ruba's organization, CCBR, emphasizes that abortion is comparable to the Holocaust. CCBR's executive director, Stephanie Gray, explained their philosophy: "If the unborn aren't human, our comparison is wrong. But if the unborn are human, then our comparison is frighteningly accurate.

"We're not saying the Holocaust and abortion are identical but we are saying they are comparable: innocent human beings denied their personhood status, used for experimentation, treated as objects, legally killed in centres designed to terminate their lives, and disposed of like waste."...

..."The President removed the Mexico City Policy on Jan. 23, to allow U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund radically pro-abortion organizations around the world. It is further proof that he plans to expand and increase death by abortion which means millions more children will die," said Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union.

While Mr. Obama lauded the community of faith for its community organization strength, he also signaled that he would view his policy initiatives through the lenses of separation of church and state, the Jeffersonian doctrine that most have elevated to a constitutionally protected level. "When a person of faith goes to work, he does not check his moral values at the door. The president of the United States of America should not keep moral values out of the oval office. Since he knows that God is displeased with those who intentionally kill the innocent, he should not use taxpayers to pay those whose who kill the innocent. When you view public policy, a moral compass needs to be heeded to take the country in the right direction, lest we lose our way." Said Dr. Johnny Hunter, Fayetteville, NC

"The black community is awakening to the genocidal impact of abortion in the black community" said Dean Nelson, Director, Network of Politically Active Christians, "We are very disappointed in the President's refusal to provide an avenue of redress in his faith based programming...."

Chutzpah on stilts: A bunch of anti-free speech fascists shouted down pro-life speaker Jojo Ruba at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, last Thursday evening and the chairwoman of a university board is so offended that she threatens to lodge a human rights complaint—against one of speaker’s sponsors!(Chronicle Herald)"Lesley-Anne Steeleworthy, who is chairwoman of the board at the women’s centre at the university, said the lecture topic was “anti-choice” and offensive on “a number of levels.”

“It is shocking,” Ms. Steeleworthy said Sunday. “It’s comparing women who want the right to choose to being as evil as Hitler.”

As a result, her group is considering a human rights complaint against the university chaplain for participating in the event. The chaplain is in his first year in the position..."

We wouldn't want to actually 'listen' to Mr. Ruba's presentation, and THEN make remarks! In fact, the whole purpose of her protesters was to NOT LISTEN.(I say they are hers, because she suggested as much in an article with 'U-News' BEFORE the event!)

Since when is it a 'human rights' issue to support life? Since when is it a 'human rights' issue to speak about history and warn about repeating mistakes? As in, "don't make the mistake of denying the humanity of another human being." I would think the human rights commission would be more interested in someone who denied that history provided this lesson!

Its quite obvious which group has respect for others, and also which group is hate-mongering, telling lies, and obstructing free speech.

Ms. Steeleworthy is not a good person to be chairing a board for a 'women's centre'. She's obviously an abortion fanatic, and can hardly be relied upon to provide healthy and safe service for all women.(Would you want her near YOUR daughter?!) She also has an unwarranted confidence in her level of influence in the universe. She does not have the power to decide moral issues and 'shut down' other voices. (Canada still being ,nominally at least, a democracy). She has no business in a place of 'higher' learning, sitting on a board that influences the outcome for young women the university is hoping will survive their experience at SMU!

One other comment. The Chronicle Herald (quoted above) mentioned that this was Fr. Dan's first year as Chaplain at SMU, as if to give hime an excuse for a 'mistake' in judgement. (This is their idea of journalism!) Fr. Dan made no mistakes. He followed protocol, his group was peaceful, and he hosted a speaker for those interested enough to attend. All the error is on the side of those who think they can control what discussions are being held by others. IT IS WRONG. And a newspaper should not in any way , suppport this kind of intolerance.

Hopefully the university (SMU) has a somewhat reasonable response to thisembarrassment - there is obviously no hate mongering from the speakers, they hadn'teven started speaking yet - SMU should be handing a suspension to the chair of thewomen's centre - this is a blatant abuse of her authority, to use her position tofurther a political end, through unethical means (bullying), and definitely showslack of judgement for the responsibilities she's been entrusted.

And that is totally besides the life vs abortion issue, to which you would think shewould have learned a somewhat sensitive approach, given her responsibilities.(via facebook)

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"One thing is certain: When the time has come, nothing which is man-made will subsist. One day, all human accomplishments will be reduced to a pile of ashes. But every single child to whom a woman has given birth will live forever, for he has been given an immortal soul made to God's image and likeness."~( Alice von Hidebrand, The Privilege of Being a Women, p.33)

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"A mother is the most important person on earth. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral -- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body".( Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty)